reviews of Indian restaurants in the Westchester and New York area (mostly), and writings on travel and food.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Calcutta Wrap and Roll

465 Ardsley Ave., Ardsley, http://calcuttawrapandroll.net/

Last night we visited this new place in Ardsley, conveniently located off the Ardsley Ave. exit on Sawmill Parkway, amidst a gaggle of shops that include a motley collection of eateries named Bubba’s Grill and Tavern, Thai House and a Mexican restaurant; a testament to the cosmopolitan nature of this county.

Calcutta Wrap and Roll is primarily a take out place, but with a few tables for eating in. It is run by a good friend of mine, and fellow local Bengali thespian, Chitta Saha, so please do take my review with a pinch of salt—I may be biased in my opinions.

Kati rolls and their variants are a type of street food that is very popular in India, meant to be eaten on the go, and originated from a restaurant called Nizam’s in Kolkata (Calcutta) several decades ago. You can find them in a few places in New York City, but this is the first time I saw them on a Westchester menu, and was the reason for us to go visit this restaurant. We ordered chicken rolls, finely diced potato crisps and idlis. A roll is an egg paratha rolled up with chunks of chicken, onions, and garnishes. The roll is then wrapped in paper, and you eat your way down its length by gradually unwrapping it. The finely diced potato crisps are a Bengali specialty. The idlis were standard issue. The food had the warmth and heartiness of home cooked fare and the price was very affordable. If you don’t mind tight, sparse seating and self service, the eat-in facilities are fine.

The rolls were excellent and had none of the oiliness that is the bane of Indian food at times. The mark of good food is the urge to have some more, and we ended up adding to our order in the middle of our meal. I had long hoped that there would be more variety of Indian food in Westchester, more of the informal foods that I grew up with. That moment appears to be arriving slowly, but surely.